Jury says murder, not suicide
Published 7:42 am Monday, February 25, 2008
A Shoreline man has been convicted of second degree murder in connection with the death of his wife, who died in their Richmond Beach townhome of a gunshot wound to the back of the head on Sept. 27, 2002.
A King County Superior Court jury deliberated for more than three days before finding Jeffrey Duane Moses, 38, guilty Nov. 3 in the death of Jennifer Moses, 34, a laboratory technician at a cancer research center. The couple lived with their two young sons, ages 6 and 8, in their Richmond Beach townhome in the 19200 block of 15th Avenue NW.
The jury rejected the defense’s argument that Jennifer Moses shot herself while battling depression, addictions to alcohol and other drugs and the influence of a religious cult.
Deputy prosecutor Hugh Barber said Jeffrey Moses, who had a history of domestic violence, pushed Jennifer Moses to the ground and shot her execution-style when it became apparent she intended to leave him after the two had been drinking and arguing.
Police said when they arrived at the townhome at 2 a.m. on Sept. 27, 2002, they met Jeffery Moses outside with one of the couple’s young sons, drinking a beer. The other son was inside asleep. Moses told police his wife had committed suicide. Police found Jennifer Moses’ body rolled up inside a large rug on the floor of the car garage and evidence that blood had been cleaned up in the kitchen. A .410-caliber Derringer pistol was recovered from the scene.
Testimony showed the bullet entered between her ear and her spine. Moses said the location of the wound resulted from a struggle in which he tried to take the gun away from his wife. Prosecution witnesses said that was the least likely place to find a suicide wound.
Moses had a prior felony conviction for second degree assault. A few days before his wife’s death, Moses was arrested on a warrant for felony assault for domestic violence against his wife. Court documents say Jennifer Moses suffered a fractured jaw and broken teeth as a result of the alleged assault. Moses posted bail and was released pending trial when his wife died of a gunshot wound three days later.
Jeffrey Moses faces a standard range of 20 to 28 years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 5. Prosecutors say they will seek a longer term, partly because children were in the couple’s house at the time of the shooting.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
